The Clowns
by luna1802
Summary: A series of one-shots about Mana and Allen starting from their encounter to their parting.
1. Intro

**(A/n Hey guys! This probably will only be a few chapters, each chapter will be a oneshot about Mana and Allen and their daily lives and whatnot. Since this is a side project I just started working on I apologize if there's some really late updates. Hope you enjoy!)**

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Most people see the sky as blue. But for me, it's always been a pale grey. That is of course, until the fateful day when Mana Walker came into my life.

For as long as I could remember I've been with a circus. My parents had abandoned me when I was an infant due to my abnormal arm. I had never known love therefor I couldn't show it, I had grown up to be a cold-hearted child. At the circus there was a clown by the name of Cosimov **[1]** , he often beat me blaming me for his misfortune. But it was really him who was the problem, his jokes were lame and acts boring. Of course I didn't dare say that less I was outright asking for a beating.

One day, another clown joined the circus. When the time for his first act came I watched from behind the curtains as he performed tricks with his dog. The audience had roared with laughter. I myself couldn't help let a smirk grow on my face. This guy's tricks made Cosimov seem like an amateur. But I hadn't anticipated what would follow.

It happened in the storeroom. The new clown's act had just ended and Cosimov full of anger had dragged me off and began throwing punches. The man was furious that someone outshined him. I took the beating silently, I'd grown used to not fighting back. Slowly Cosimov's hits began to lose their power and a final shove was given. I stumbled back, hitting the wall and sliding down against it.

"Damn clown…" Cosimov muttered.

My dark eyes watched as the man left. I clenched a fist, his back had been facing me moments ago. It was the perfect time to attack. But if I did, that bastard would tell the Ring Leader **[2]** and I'd get kicked out. At least here I get scraps; on the streets my chance of survival plummet.

I massaged a sore cheek, a bruise would form soon. The soft sound of an animal walking on wood caused me to look forward. The new clown's dog stood there, his tongue hanging from his mouth. Interested, I held out my deformed arm. The dog whined and placed his head in it. My eyes widened, he wasn't afraid.

"If you're looking for food you're out of luck." I said. The dog didn't move, where was his master?

"Are you lonely?" This time I asked a different question. The dog tilted his head and looked up at me through sad eyes.

I chuckled bitterly. "Me too."

Soon after the dog left. And once again I was left alone in the storeroom, pain being the only thing to comfort me.

In the following weeks the new clown and his dog performed. The more rowdy the crowd was the more powerful Cosimov's punches were.

Today was fairly quiet. I was outside peeling potatoes when a figure stumbled past. I recognized the person right away to be Cosimov. The clown was drunk, a bottle of liquor in a hand as he headed towards his tent. Thankfully he didn't spot me. With that potato peeler in my hand I couldn't guarantee he'd make it out unscathed if he decided to beat me.

With my chore done, I gripped the handle of the potato filled bucket and brought it inside. Leaving it on a table so the chef could cook supper. I found myself back outside. Winter was nearly here and the weather called for heavier clothing. Thankfully clothing was one of the things the Ring Leader supplied me with. Thick, grey clouds hung in the sky. Snow would fall later tonight.

Since my chores were completed and I didn't have to worry about Cosimov I decided to go watch the final act's of the night. As I was about to make my way to the stage I spotted the new clown kneeling in the grass. His back was facing me so I couldn't tell was he was doing. I stood there watching him, he didn't move for a good five minutes. With a tsk I called out,

"What are you doing? It's going to snow soon, you better-"

Sorrowful, golden eyes met mine. The clown had twisted to look at me and I saw what he was kneeling before. It was the beaten body of his dog. Something in me snapped seeing the bruises scattered around the animal's body. My feet dragged me forward and I sunk to the earth beside the man.

This dog, was dead. Beaten to death. And I knew who did it. It was that drunken bastard; _Cosimov._

"Mister," I began, "I know who killed your dog."

"Hm?"

I gritted my teeth. Didn't he care about his animal? I spoke again more forcefully, " _I said,_ I know. Who. Killed. Your. Dog. Now if you're not going to get revenge I-"

A hand suddenly gripped my arm and I snapped my head sideways. The clown was looking at me with sympathetic eyes that made me sick. "That man beat you too didn't he?" I grimaced shaking free of his hold.

"So what? Aren't you going after him for what he did to your dog? Are you even sad about it? Cosimov beat him to death and you're concerning yourself with other people's problems!" I blinked. The clown had disappeared. "H-Hey...where'd you go?"

"I'm so said I could die." I turned my attention to a nearby tree where I found that the clown had taken a rope and made-believe that he was hanging himself.

My brows furrowed in irritation and I shouted, "Stop that!" The clown chuckled, letting the rope drop to the ground and came back over to take a seat. Even though that was an act, it still unnerved me. Something like that shouldn't be used for entertainment.

The clown held a hand up to touch his eyes and said, "It's always been like this. No matter how sad I get, no tears will fall. Even now that I see the dead body of my companion, my tears remain dry."

"What was his name?"

"Excuse me?"

"His name. The dog."

"Oh. Allen...his name was Allen."

My heart suddenly felt heavy. I was experiencing feelings I hadn't felt in a long time because of some damn dog. "Allen-huh? What a strange name, for a dog." My lips trembled and I pressed them together to make them stop. I didn't want to, I couldn't. After all I barely knew the dog, so _why?_

 _Why was I crying?!_

Hot tears streamed down my face. I furiously wiped them away but as soon as I did my face was covered in them again. I sniffled loudly. This was pathetic; I was the one crying over someone else's dog.

"Were you friends with Allen?" The clown asked.

 _Friends?_

"N-no! I barely knew the dog!" I protested. But, even if I wouldn't admit it, that dog was something you would call a friend. After shows he'd visit me, sometimes he'd curl up next to me after I'd taken a beating from Cosimov, and most of all he didn't run away at the sight of my _demonic_ arm. Just thinking of this caused me to cry harder.

"It's alright." The clown attempted to calm me by rubbing my back. I didn't even have the energy to yell at him. "Say, would you like to leave the circus with me?"

Those words immediately silenced my cries. I stared at the clown my watery eyes wide in question, "Leave? The circus? But why?"

The clown smiled, "I was planning on leaving after Christmas Day. I travel from circus to circus you see…"

As the man rambled on a weak smile found it's way onto my face. In that one moment my life didn't appear so bleak. The sky didn't seem gray anymore, this clown somehow changed that. He'd become my sun.

"What's your name?" The clown suddenly inquired.

I blinked surprised at the question. "Red. Just Red."

"Well Red, you can call me Mana. What do you say we dig a grave?"

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 **[1]** I'm not sure if I'm spelling Cosimov's name right, when I read the Reverse Novel 3 it was spelled like that-at least in the one I read. Other spelling you guys might be familiar with is Cosmos.

 **[2]** Also I'm pretty sure Cosimov's is just a clown but I read somewhere that he was the Ring Leader so I apologize if that's incorrect. I made it so that he wasn't the Ring Leader in here.

Thanks for reading! Until next time!


	2. Clowns

The countryside was nice for walking. Or at least in Mana's opinion. He says since the roads are long and scenic it's more fun-which I don't get whatsoever. We were on our way to another fair to perform. I recalled when Mana did his acts I used to collect the money that was thrown, but that all changed when Mana got me a clown outfit.

I remembered the time so clearly it was if it had been burned into my memory.

It was around four months ago, early spring. Mana had woken me up at the same time he did-which for some reason was at the ass crack of dawn. I was grumpy for I usually don't get up for another few hours. But Mana wouldn't let me go back to sleep, the man was all excited as he held up a piece of clothing. My tired eyes saw it as nothing special and I went to crawl back into bed when I was jerked up.

"Old man…" I growled, "What's with you I'm trying to sleep can't you see?"

"But Allen! Look I have something for you." I cracked opened one of my eyes. In the dimly lit room I saw Mana's figure, in his hands was a frilly outfit. It was made up of bright colors and pompoms, with great disappointment I realized what it was.

"No way in hell are you getting me to try that on." I said as I stuffed my face back into the pillow.

"But Allen, if you're worried about not knowing how to do tricks I'll teach you."

A sour look grew on my face and I whipped the pillow at the man. "It's not that! It's a stupid looking outfit. I wouldn't be caught dead in it."

A playful smirk grew on Mana's face and he began to approach me carefully. "If you'd like to be dead your current state can be easily changed." Then he lunged, attempting to grab me.

But I knew what he was up to and I was already halfway across the room by the time he landed on the bed, "Stay away from me old man!" I shouted.

Mana chased me around the room for a good ten minutes. By the time he finally caught me furniture had been knocked over and objects broken. I was forced to change into the outfit in the bathroom. When I came out I felt like a complete _idiot._

"You look so cute!" Mana complemented.

I grimaced, "Don't say that ever again please."

Confusion flickered across the man's face. "Why?"

"Just don't. Anyways," I squished a pompom and was glad to see it was in fairly good condition, "What did you want to teach me?"

"Does that mean you're ready to learn?"

"If it means you'll stop badgering me about it then yes."

Mana clapped his hands together, suddenly a blue ball appeared out of thin air, "Great! We'll start with this. Try balancing this on your nose for an hour."

I caught the blue ball as it was thrown at me. "Easy." I said. But, little did I know this 'easy' trick would turn into one of the most frustrating things of my life.

It took me a good two weeks to fully balance that blue ball without having it sway side to side every second. Then Mana had given me a bigger ball and told me to stand on it. It wasn't as hard as the smaller one but still required practice. Now I was a so-called-clown like Mana. I balanced on balls and juggling pins while on them. I was getting better as the months passed.

That memory was the first time I'd actually tried to do those tricks. It was also just after I'd accepted my new name, 'Allen.' That subject brought up something else entirely. Not too long after I left the circus to travel with Mana I realized that the man wasn't completely sane. I never mentioned to him although. If I did I feared Mana would think I was the crazy one and leave me alone just like everyone else had done. I was content with the way things were, the name 'Allen' fit me better than my old nickname anyways.

"Allen? You alright?" I looked forward to see Mana further ahead of me on the path. He'd stopped walking because apparently I had too.

I gently shook my head clearing away my thoughts. "Yeah. I'd be more worried about yourself old man, you think you can handle all of this walking?"

Mana acted shocked at my harsh words, "What mean words Allen! Shouldn't you be a bit nicer?"

"Nicer?" I scoffed. "Why?"

"You'll make more friends that way, and _smilllee_ too." Upon the word _smile_ Mana had used his fingers to stretch his lips up to make his toothy grin even larger.

I pondered over this. Making friends isn't something I'd ever thought about. I shrugged and said, "Why would I need friends when I have you old man?"

This time it was the clown's turn to shrug. Except doing it nonchalantly like I, Mana did it very exaggeratedly. "Who knows? They're a nice thing to have wouldn't you say?"

I kicked a rock watching it bouncing a few steps ahead of me. "I wouldn't know I've never had one before."

"Ah." Mana glanced at me, his golden eyes seemed troubled. I waited Mana to break the awkward silence with a joke or by doing something comical; but he did nothing and we continued to walk. I wondered what was wrong with the man, but I would never find out because we had reached the town. Like a switch Mana was back to his old self. The clown was excited for the festivities which would take place tomorrow. I however was not.

Whatever had been bugging Mana I wanted to know, but knowing him he'd brush it off. That guy was such an airhead sometimes. With a roll of my eyes I jogged to catch up to the man and together we entered the town, heading towards the nearest inn so we'd be able to prepare for our acts tomorrow. Our acts which fit us perfectly, for on the inside we were both clowns.

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 **(A/n Hey everyone! In this chapter about six months have passed since Allen and Mana have met. It's a large time gap but hopefully the flashback made up for it. And not every chapter will be like that. Until next time!)**


	3. Brawns

They were in a snowy town by the name of Donetsk, people there had strange accents. Not a lot spoke Mana and I's language but we were fortunate enough to find an innkeeper who could understand us if we spoke slowly.

While Mana took a shower I was sent to the store for food. Mana had said to look for things that wouldn't go bad quickly-like canned food-for we'd be taking it on our journey.

I had just left the store. I carried a paper bag full of canned beans, meats and other edible, tasty sounding foods. The cold bit at my skin and I shivered, pulling at my jacket so it wrapped more tightly around me.

Snow had started to fall more heavily, seeing this I decided to take a shortcut by cutting through the alley's. It was quiet as I walked, the only sound the snow crunching beneath my feet. Now I was _pretty_ sure I knew where I was going. I may have took a wrong left or right turn back there...but hopefully I would end up in a familiar place.

I paused glancing around. As I exhaled my warm breath fogged up in front of me before quickly fading away. I was at a crossroads. I could keep going straight or take a left to go between buildings. While I had been thinking, I hadn't noticed two boys approaching from behind.

"Що у нас тут?" _(what do we have here?)_

I snapped around. Before me were two boys a little older than me. I sensed they weren't friendly. My brows furrowed and I gripped the bag tighter. I hadn't fought in a long time, might be a tad rusty, but if the situation called for it I'd do it. "Hi. Do you happen to know the way to-"

"Він іноземець." _(he's a foreigner.)_ The blonde one scoffed.

The shorter of the pair rolled his eyes. "повинно бути. Що, на вашу думку, в тому мішку його?" _(must be. what do you think is in that bag of his?)_

The blonde grinned at me and it wasn't a nice one either. "Давай дізнаємось." _(let's_ _find out.)_

Seconds after they were done speaking, they began to advance towards me. "Hey-back off!" I shouted when one tried to take my bag. When they didn't give up I curled my free hand into a fist and swung it.

It struck the blonde in his chin and sent him crashing into the alley's brick wall. He gave me a glare and said to his companion, "Отримати Його." _(get him.)_

What happened next was a flurry of fists as the pair threw punches at me, I returned them whenever I wasn't blocking. Snow was suddenly smothered on my face. My eyes widened and I felt myself freezing up under shock from the sudden cold. I grunted as a fist hit the side of my head knocking me down.

"Незграбний іноземець. Ходімо." _(weakling_ _foreigner. let's go.)_ One of the boys spat on the ground, a signal of disgust as he walked away.

I watched with hatred as the pair turned around a corner. Thankfully out of my sight. Slowly I stood, feeling a bit woozy from the hit I took to the head. I picked up the canned food, stacking them in my arms-the bag had been ripped during the earlier fight.

With a glance behind me to make sure I wasn't being followed, I continued on my way.

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"What happened?!" Mana exclaimed as I walked into the room. The man had immediately thought something was wrong, then upon noticing the blood he had a complete mental fit.

"Nothing. I'm taking a shower." I muttered as I dumped the cans onto the table.

"Wait! Come on, tell me, who did this?" Mana prodded as he gently gripped my shoulder.

I gritted my teeth. Finally I said, "Some kids. Now leave me alone old man."

Mana seemed satisfied with that and let me be. I first cleaned up my wounds before taking a shower. When I got out I found Mana to be gone. This didn't alarm me, the man sometimes up and left without a word. I just hoped he didn't get himself or I into any trouble.

Since it was late I decided to sleep. Hopefully Mana would be back in the morning then we could leave this wretched town.

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I awoke to the sound of the door creaking shut. Boots shuffled against the carpet before they slid off. Footsteps creaked against the wood as they made their way over to the bed. I watched through half-closed eyes as Mana quietly climbed into his bed. It must've still been night time for the sun hadn't made it's way through the curtains yet.

I tsked, "Sure took your time old man."

"Allen? You're awake?"

"You woke me up. Try and be quiet next time. Where were you anyways?"

Mana sat up in bed and stared at me in the darkness. I could just spot the outline of a smile on his face, "I found those kids who beat you up. I asked them to apologize but they just threw snow at me."

I snapped up into a sitting position. _"You what?_ Why would you-" I gulped not sure if I should be angry or thankful. "That was unnecessary." I mumbled.

Mana chuckled, "Oh but it was! Children shouldn't beat up other children. It's quite rude. They should leave the fighting to the adults."

"But what if the adults are the ones fighting them?" I asked wanting to see how Mana would respond to this.

Mana blinked. "Then the adults are in the wrong. If you have an argument with a child you should always talk it out-" I faked snored sensing a long lecture coming on. Mana merely smiled and said nothing. He laid back down, "Goodnight Allen."

I yawned. "Goodnight Mana."

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 **(A/n Hey guys! So the town Donetsk is in Russia but it's more towards the border of Ukraine. So the language being spoken is Ukrainian. I used google translate hopefully that's correct. Thanks for the reviews! Until next time!)**


	4. Sick Day

A sneeze echoed in the quiet house. I was laying down tucked tightly under thick blankets. I felt horrible. Somehow I'd caught a cold. In my memories I'd only gotten this sick once; as of now running a 103 degree fever and sweating profusely was like a wakeup call.

"What's taking that old man so long…?" I wondered out loud. Mana had left at least an hour ago to go to town for medicine. Earlier in the day when I collapsed due to exhaustion; Mana had insisted we look for somewhere to stay even though the town was only a few miles away. Not long after we found a cottage which belonged to a young couple. The pair had immediately welcomed us when they saw the state I was in.

As I closed my eyes and attempted to get some rest, the walls suddenly creaked as a bang sounded. It was a door slamming shut that'd caused that sound. Mana's finally back.

"Allen!" Mana's voice said as the bedroom's door flung open.

My tired eyes flickered open and I said, "About time. Did you get medicine?"

Mana paused his lips pressing together as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...I spoke with a doctor and he said it's probably just a cold. He said to let it run it's course and if it gets any worse to bring you in."

" _Great_." I sneezed again my head flying back into my pillow. I sniffled loudly as snot was leaking out of my nostrils and onto my face. My nose scrunched up in disgust and I wiped the stuff away quickly with my sleeve.

Mana brought a hand to his chin. "Looks like you won't be able to perform for a while…" He spoke absentmindedly.

"Of course not!" I snapped. "Do you want me to be sneezing every second as I try to balance on something into people's faces?"

The man shrugged as he plopped down on the bed. With a smile he said, "It'd be interesting!" His grin quickly dropped into a frown. "Although you might scare away the customers…"

I gave Mana a glare and placed my foot on his back pushing him away, "Oi what do you think you're doing? You wanna get sick too?"

Golden eyes met mine. A shrug was given. "It's alright." As I was watching Mana through slitted eyes I wasn't expecting what he did next. The man began to fall back, his arms splayed outwards. When he landed his hand hit my face with an audible _smack._ An irk mark threatened to appear for I was getting really annoyed.

" _Oi!_ What's your deal?" I questioned as I attempted to either put some distance between us or push him off. My small muscles didn't even manage to budge the man.

Mana glanced down at me a smile decorating his face, "Like I said, we can be sick together!"

"You didn't say that!"

"I didn't?...I could've swore-"

"Why would you wanna get sick anyways? It sucks. There's snot, headaches, sneezing…"

Mana tilted his head and gave me a look as if it obvious, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could both get better together?"

My grey eyes widened and unsure of how to answer that I turned the opposite way. After a prolonged silence I mumbled, "It's up to you old man. You have to get sick first."

"Hmm~! Should be easy, I think I'm feeling a bit queasy right now! Was that one of your symptoms?"

"Nope. You probably just ate something bad." Mana's look became one of disappointment.

"Oh well. We have a while. From now on I'll be drinking from the same cup as you and sharing your germs!" Mana suddenly proclaimed. "That's how people get sick right?"

I snapped up in bed at the thought of sharing the same cup with him. " _No way old man!"_

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 **Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know if you have a request for a chapter idea PM me and give me a basic idea/outline of it and I'll do my best to write it. Will only take a few-depending on how many I get anyways. Thanks for the reviews! Until next time!**


	5. Taken

**(A/n Hey guys! As you can see I made this into one whole thing. There will be future two-shots in this but just not this not one. You can skip ahead until where it changes since the first part is just the same, enjoy!)**

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The crowd clapped as Mana struck a comical pose that gestured to me doing a handstand upside-down on a ball. After a few seconds I flipped landing in front of the object, swiftly going into a bow.

"Bravo!" The people shouted. Coins clinked into a hat Mana was holding out.

In a booming voice Mana said, "Thank you all for coming! I hope you enjoyed the show~!" There was one last round of applause before the crowd began to disperse. Seeing the people were gone I began to deflate the ball, then pick up the other props that'd been used. "Great job today!" Mana complemented.

I shrugged. "It's the same as usual. Let's head back I'm hungry." Mana observed the contents of the hat a pleased look on his face.

"We should be getting a hot meal tonight!" My stomach growled just thinking about it. Fresh off-the-grill food, not the canned crap they'd been eating for the past week.

"I'm going to wash off." I said as I shoved the props into Mana's arms.

"Okay! I'll meet you outside!" I tsked as Mana gave an overly cheerful wave. The cheap inn they were staying in didn't have any bathrooms in the bedrooms. If you had to do your business it was either outside or in the low-maintenance bathroom downstairs. Thankfully I wouldn't have to deal with the stench for long for I was just washing my face.

When I entered there was already two men inside. The pair glanced at me suspiciously, but disregarded me as another stupid kid when they saw my clowny appearance. I scrubbed hard with cold water to get the face paint off. When I looked at my reflection hoping to see it gone I realized I'd only smudged it. I muttered a few curse words and jerked the faucet from cold to hot. Once steam starting coming up I brought my towel forward, only to stop. I had just overheard something I _knew_ I wasn't supposed to hear.

The pair of men were still in the bathroom. The more fatter of the two had spoke loudly apparently thinking I wouldn't be able to hear over the rush of running water. He'd said, "The bodies won't hide themselves Pollux. The _bones_...the police will find them-"

" _Shut it!"_ Pollux snapped causing me to jump. In a low tone he whispered to his companion, "We're not alone in here." As they talked I'd shut off the faucet, not mattering that my face was a collage of red white and other colors.

"Oh…" The friend's voice trailed off when he realized his mistake.

"Oi kid!" My expression grew sour when Pollux's voice called out to me. I turned towards the pair glaring daggers at them. "Forget what you heard alright? Or, it might not turn out so well." He placed his hands on his hips and shifted his jacket revealing a gun.

I gulped. The presence of the gun was intimidating but these two however were _not_. I smirked and folded my arms. "What did I hear exactly? That two serial killers are about to be found out by the police?"

"He knows…" The yet to be named man whimpered.

Pollux rolled his eyes. He was clearly bothered by my words but kept his cool. A toothy grin spread across Pollux's face. "If you're going to tell then I'm afraid we can't let you leave."

I returned the sly smile as I inched backwards and towards the door. "Who knows? I'm not that good at keeping secrets."

Pollux's face contorted in anger and he suddenly drew his gun flicking off the safety. "I don't like your tone brat!"

 _Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_

Panicky laughter built up inside me as I covered my head and bolted to the door all the while dodging bullets.

I'd made it out unscathed and was running for the inn's door when I took a glance behind me. Just before I looked back forward my body slammed into someone nearly knocking me off my feet.

"Allen!" Mana exclaimed. "What's the rush? Oh your face is still dirty...want to finish cleaning up before you change?" I took a step away from the pestering old man.

"I'm fine!" I snapped. "Let's go."

Mana raised a brow. "Did something happen?"

I huffed. "Why would you-" I was suddenly picked up as a strong arm wrapped around my waist. I was twisted sideways causing the blood to rush to my head-not that it wasn't already from what was happening.

"We got him let's go!" A voice I recognized all too well shouted.

 _It was that damn Pollux!_

Does he think kidnapping me will be that easy? I began to kick and pound at him with all my might. I received satisfying grunts of pain but this guy-who looked like a freakin _noodle_ -wasn't dropping him. My face was currently in Pollux's backside so I couldn't see what was happening. All I knew is that he was running outside. The chilly breeze rustled my hair and the sound of feet slamming against asphalt was unmistakable.

"Dammit let me go!" My muffled voice shouted. I was ignored, which made me more annoyed. Pollux's friend finally decided to show up; I could tell it was by him from his raspy breathing.

"That...that guy the kid was with almost _killed me_ man!"

Pollux scoffed. "You're overreacting it's just a bit of blood. What'd you do to the guy?"

I could almost see the satisfaction on the guy's face as he said, "I stabbed him. He wasn't too tough after that."

" _Bastards!"_ Rage overtook me upon hearing those words and I unleashed a flurry of violent kicks into Pollux's abdomen.

"Ouch-damn-kid-knock him out!" A hand suddenly came down and karate-chopped the back of my neck. Like the button 'off' had been pushed, I immediately ceased my movements. I'd lost control of any of my muscles, they all were numb. Voices became murky and hard to make out. And soon I fell asleep.

* * *

I kept my gaze fixated on my legs. I'd been tied up in some old house for the last few hours. My stomach was starting to growl but I wasn't going to stoop so low as to ask those bastards for food. Speaking of them, the pair had been coming and going ever since they tied me up here. They exchanged little words but I could tell they were unnerved. I'd learned the fat one's name was Luther. My eyes caught a glimpse of the outside as the pair entered; the sun had already set and the sky was quickly fading to black. My bored eyes watched as Luther and Pollux talked a hushed tone, the thinner of the two was looking agitated as he gestured in my direction before doing other frustrated hand motions.

"Oi oi! If you're gonna talk about me speak up so I can hear." I drawled out. They snapped in my direction.

Pollux regained his composure and let a smirk replace the frown which moments ago had been on his face, "You're awfully calm in this situation kid."

My eyes trailed down to my deformed arm which was still covered by the clown outfit I never got the chance to change out of. I rolled my eyes letting a scoff escape my mouth. "I've dealt with people worse than amateur serial killers in my life. You people don't even phase me."

Anger flared in Pollux's eyes and he curled his hand into a fist preparing to strike only to get pulled back by his companion. Luther tugged worriedly at Pollux's sleeve and muttered, "We still have to set up. You can get back at him when it's time."

"Right." Pollux moved his sharp gaze in my direction. "I'll let you in on a little secret, you're gonna be our next victim. Then we'll throw your body and the bones into the river. It's perfect!" I shivered as the man cackled crazily. He suddenly cut himself off and walked towards the door promptly exiting the building. Luther soon followed.

I grimaced. Were these bastards really going to kill me? No, they couldn't. _But they were._ I need to get out of here–and fast. I struggled against the ropes that bound me but they must've done quadruple knots for it didn't loosen one bit. With a huff I relaxed back into the chair. Well that was pointless.

Mana. My eyes widened as I remembered the state the man was said to be left in as I was taken away. Mentally I slapped myself. How could I forget something so important?! Now the feeling of urgency only increased and I found myself violently rocking the chair side to side. It gave one sway more forceful than the others, and soon I found myself lying on the ground. I groaned, that fall had _not_ been pleasant. But to my satisfaction I found the ropes to be sagging. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I jerked my arms out, the ropes snapped like I'd been bound with thread. I made quick work with the rope tied around my ankles and soon I was standing up.

I didn't make a move for the door, those two idiots might be nearby. Instead I stood quiet and listened. All my ears picked up was the chirping of crickets and the gentle wind as it blew through crevices outside. My lips pursed and I looked behind me; yes that would work.

I'd decided walking out the front door wasn't a smart idea so I put my street skills to use and found another route of escape. The house's interior I was in had mostly collapsed. Piles of debris had stacked up near the walls and towards the ceiling on one of them was an opening I could crawl out of. I began climbing the pile of wood, my grip was light to not get slivers but at the same time firm so I could be steady and not risk falling. I arrived at the top and glanced behind me, thankfully while I'd been climbing no one had snuck in the room. A light breeze drew my attention back forward. The opening was in front of me. In the little light the moon provided I could tell it wasn't that far of a jump down. Not wanting to spend anymore time in this place, I finished the crawl and pushed myself out of the building.

Even being a short drop it was still enough to make my heart go into my throat. I was more than thankful when I collided with the earth, only wincing for I'd landed on my ankle. I scoffed as I gingerly pulled the reddening thing out from underneath me. Damn thing would slow me down.

"Ah! Pollux hurry! He got out!" A distant voice made me freeze. That couldn't be…

I forced myself to my feet. My eyes narrowed as I tried to make out the two silhouettes rapidly approaching. One thin, one fat. I scowled, time to go. I began to limp using the building as support as I shuffled forward. My auburn hair brushed in front of my eyes blinding my vision but it didn't really matter if I couldn't see as long as I kept walking forward.

I'd made to the corner of the building without them catching up. If I could bite back the pain I might be able to run with this damned ankle. The shouts were getting closer signaling my captors were closer to finding me. But whatever happens I couldn't get kidnapped again. I pressed my eyes shut for a millisecond drawing in breath before pushing off the building and breaking into a run.

I didn't get very far for I almost immediately crashed into someone. And unlike last time I did that this time I went falling to the ground. My eyes widened in panic at the thought that Pollux or the other had circled around to cut me off. But before me was neither a thin man or fat one, it was someone in between.

Joy filled my eyes and I jumped forward embracing the man-something I would later deny ever doing. "Mana!" I breathed out my voice full of relief. The man didn't react for a few seconds, when he did I was given a mere pat on the back. I pulled away confused. "Are you...ok? I heard you got stabbed."

Mana's eyes flickered in remembrance as he brought a hand to touch a bloodied spot on his shirt. "Oh this? It's all better now no need to worry." My eyes were glued to the spot; stab wounds don't heal just like that he was definitely _not_ okay. "Allen," Mana laid a gentle hand on my head and ruffled my hair. I was given a warm smile. "Close your eyes and block your ears." The man then walked past me leaving me sitting perplexed by his words.

I flipped around and shouted, "Oi what do you mean-"

Blood spattered across my cheek. The warm fluid dripped down and onto my hands. It took a second to register what I was seeing. Pollux and Luther had caught up by now, their lanterns now lay discarded on the earth the flames flickering in and out. Mana stood in the center of it all. He gripped Pollux by his throat and was lifting him off his feet, the man clawed at Mana's fingers in an attempt to get air. Soon his face turned purple and his flailing feet became still. The blood had come from Luther. Somehow with his bare hands Mana had pierced through the skin and into the man's shoulder all the way to his backside. There was a squelching sound as Mana removed his hand, only to give Luther a powerful slap with the same hand and send him flying. I watched frozen with horror as the carnage took place before me. Mana...was killing these people! But they killed people too...so don't they deserve this?

 _I don't know!_

My brain hurt from trying to decide who was in the right and who was in the wrong. So I gave up. My fingers plugged my ears blocking out some of the sound and I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for it to be over.

"Allen…" The soft voice called out. I flinched. No doubt Mana noticed it but I couldn't help it. Slowly I cracked open my eyes. Mana stood before me; like always he wore that clownish grin. We stared at each other not saying a word. I took into note the crimson splashes on him, I recoiled at the thought of what took place. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." Mana said with a saddened expression.

My lips trembled and after moments of hesitation I hugged Mana. I let out my emotions I'd been hiding until now, they all came pouring out as tears as I sobbed into Mana's chest. I admit I was a pitiful sight, but right then and now I needed some way to express myself-and I don't do very well with talking about my feelings. Mana said nothing, he only rubbed my back comfortingly as I cried into his already ruined shirt.

Once I'd collected myself we left an anonymous tip at the police. We left town soon after that and put the incident behind us. Even though we grew closer, I wouldn't be able to fully forget what took place that night. Mana as he ruthlessly took down two murderers. His eyes which glowed an even brighter golden in the moonlight. And hearing their strangled cries that reached my ears no matter how hard I'd tried to block them out.

That was the very first and last time I'd been truly afraid of Mana Walker.


	6. Manners

I sat on my feet, my legs being folded underneath me. Mana sat in front of me bearing a bored expression as he flipped through the contents of a book. It'd been like this for the past two hours. With an irritated growl I thought back to how I'd gotten myself into this mess.

We were on our way back to our room when some kid had bumped into me. Now I wasn't in the best of moods after messing up during one of acts and being publicly humiliated. So I'd snapped at the girl, making her cry. The mother had come rushing over and given both Mana and I glares leaving us-more Mana-feeling rather guilty. This incident led Mana to coming up with an idea; it was time for me to learn some manners.

"Alright!" Mana drawled out as he set down the book. I exhaled letting my stiff back relax. "So! What'd you learn?" He turned towards me hope alight in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes and shifted off of my numb feet. Tingles spread throughout them and I almost fell over from the feeling. I regained my composure and retorted, "Nothing. Did you really think making me sit still was gonna make me speak with manners?"

Mana brought a hand to his chin. "Hmm...maybe that wasn't the best way to teach you. It's around supper time no?" I nodded. Mana raised a brow and I knew he was up to something. "Well, I could always tell the innkeeper not to give you anything. I'm sure the nice lady will see and help me teach a lesson to my naughty son-"

Fed up with his antics, I jumped on him gripping his collar. "I'm getting my supper tonight you old fool! I'm starving and my stomach's been growling all day!"

Teasingly Mana wagged a finger and pried me off of him. "Uh-uh. Is that how you ask someone for food?"

I tsked. Was I really going to have to beg him for a meal? I sighed heavily curling my hand into a fist. Slowly I forced the words out, "Please, let me eat supper tonight, _you old fool."_ I muttered the last part quiet enough so I wasn't to be heard.

Mana regarded my words with a hum. "Better than nothing~. Now come Allen! Time for supper!" I exclaimed in surprise as I was picked up from underneath my arms and spun around before whisked out of the room. "Prepare to use your manners at the table!" Mana called out from above. Again I rolled my eyes. Did he really think saying 'please let me eat tonight' would make me all prim and proper? If supper didn't go well I'd most likely have to sit on my legs again...I shuddered. I wasn't looking forward to that again.

* * *

 **(A/n Hey everyone! So expect a few more chapters-the lengths will vary-then I think I'll wrap it up. Thanks for reading, until next time!)**


	7. Outro - Part 1

"Have you gotten taller?" Mana asked as he measured my height against himself. The fact that he'd noticed my nightly growth spurts caused a sprinkle of pink to come across my cheeks.

I roughly shoved Mana's arm down and muttered, "Nah you're probably just shrinking with age." At my words the man brought a hand to his chin as if he was seriously considering that lie. "Anyways let's get going."

"Hm!" Mana nodded in agreement taking ahold of my hand. I huffed sticking out my lip and facing the other way so my expression was sure not to be seen. Even though I acted sour at times like this I quite enjoyed having someone's hand to hold as I walked. I found comfort in another's warmth beside me during my journey.

It was around midday and we were passing through a small town. Somehow Mana knew the whereabouts of another village that'd be holding a winter festival. We'd be able to reach it by nightfall if we didn't stop. As we continued on through the town, I subconsciously pulled my gloved arm closer to my chest. There wasn't many people on the streets, but for some reason I thought I sensed the feeling of a lingering cold gaze directed at my back. I peeked over my shoulder and only saw the figures of people as they hurried through the snow. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stiffly faced back forward.

"Allen?" Beside me Mana suddenly bent down to eye level and stared at me. Apparently my discomfort was obvious.

I sighed. Of course he would notice I haven't been too picky about hiding my arm lately. "It's nothing." I waved it off. "Come on it looks like it's gonna snow."

Mana paused, his eyes flickering up to the gray sky. A faint smile graced his lips and he mumbled. "Ah, yes. Snow."

I watched as he stood there like an idiot head turned towards the sky for a good five minutes. I made an irritated noise-one I couldn't quite describe for it was plain gibberish-and stomped forward tugging at his sleeve. "Come on! I don't want to get sick from this damned cold so let's get going!"

Finally Mana's attention drew back and we met eyes. He grinned at me as an idea suddenly filled his head. "I spotted some candy at that store back there. Maybe they have some hot chocolate~. I'll be back!"

"Mana wai-" My call fell short and I put the outstretched hand back down. The man was already gone. I puffed blowing a piece of hair that'd fell in front of my eyes. He can't listen to me can he? Deciding it'd be a long wait, I settled leaning against a gate my arms wrapped tightly around my chest to preserve warmth.

 _Now that I think about it….maybe I should've chased after the old man. It's probably warmer inside the shop anyways._

I exhaled heavily moving my eyes to across the street. What was taking him so long? Almost as if the universe had heard my thoughts, a quiet jingling of a bell made my eyes to move to a small shop on the street corner. Mana came out bearing a large grin and holding a medium sized paper bag. I brighten slightly when I imagined what could be inside but dulled when I thought that idiot could've spent our entire savings on sweets. I couldn't tell if he did it on purpose or not but when Mana set foot on the street his foot slid on a patch of ice and he fell on his ass. I watched unamused while on the other hand Mana was laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. He held the sweets in the air above so when he'd fell they received no damage.

I was about to say something snarky but stopped when I heard clamouring down the street. Both of us turned our heads to see what was going on but by then it was too late. A rogue carriage came barreling down the street, the horses had been spooked by something unknown. The ruckus they'd heard before were people shouting at them to get out of the way. The horses hooves beat down on the man in their way, the bump of a human body didn't even throw the wheels off balance as the carriage rolled over the figure. Whinney's echoed in the distance as the coachman tried to calm his animals.

I blinked. Did that just happen? To be sure I gave myself a pinch. Still awake. I gave myself a slap. The impact stung my cheek but I remained in this dream. Now I curled a hand into a fist. I stared at it as I pulled it back before swinging it forward. With the force given my head snapped sideways. A quiet gasp escaped my lips as I felt my jaw painfully crack. I was still...here. So was this reality?

 _Reality._ At the thought of the word I felt like I was drowning and dropped to my knees. The scenes from earlier replayed back in my mind like a broken record; Mana trapped under the horses stampede, his body breaking under the force, blood staining the horses white legs. I let out a choked sound and forced myself to look at him. Mana lay in the same spot; his dark hair was clotted with dirt and blood, his limbs pounded in at awkward angles.

"Mana…" I whispered. My gaze then picked up something that almost made my heart stop; the rising and falling of a chest. " _Mana!"_ I shouted, scrambling over to the man's side. When I got there a miracle happened and Mana's orbs flickered opened meeting mine.

His warm gaze never faltered even in this state. Mana brought a weak hand to rest against my cheek and I gripped it afraid of it disappearing. "You have grown…" He chuckled causing him to cough up blood.

My eyes widened in alarm and I leaned forward. "D-Don't speak! I gotta go find a doctor or somet-"

"Allen." Mana's quiet voice ceased my panicky rambling. "When I leave, be a good boy."

My mouth drifted open when I got what he was saying. "Don't say that you old fool!" I said sharply.

I only recieved a smile. Mana then turned his head forward so that he could stare up at the sky. A distant look had started to form in his eyes along with a twisting feeling of misery in my own stomach as I started to wonder about the near future. "Allen be wary...tragedy attracts the Earl."

"What do you mean?" I questioned. Did his head get hit one too many times? "Mana?" The hand on my cheek slowly slid off and landed on the earth with a _thud_ that resonated throughout me. Denial slipped through me and I shooked the motionless corpse. "Mana! Old man! Oi...wake up-" Words stuck in my throat and I couldn't think of what else to do. My mind had rage and wanted revenge, my heart needed to let it out and scream. I drew in a hoarse breath and let my emotions run wild. A pained scream pierced the air. Hot tears trailed down my cheeks and I gripped at my heart, the thing that was making me feel all this. My fingers began to claw at my chest, trying to get to the source of the pain and rip it out. When all my energy was exhausted I let my numb hands fall to my side. The pain was still there, an endless throb.

"Excuse me...I'm terribly sorry about what happened. But I can help give your father a proper burial." A both extremely nervous and apologetic voice spoke from behind me. I didn't give any sign that I'd heard him, they didn't wait for consent anyways as two more men came up and took ahold of Mana carrying him away. Anger didn't even flare at the sight of the strangers taking him away, now I was but an empty shell. The world appeared grey again. My sun was gone.

* * *

Proper burial my ass. I'd found Mana's grave thanks to some sympathetic nun, she'd informed me of it's whereabouts on a hill. After the short trek I'd found the small cross marking Mana Walker's tomb. Once again I felt the ache. I tsked, my eyes scanned the earth for a sharp rock before finding one suited to my liking. Then I proceeded to inscribe Mana's name into the marker. When I was done I sat back on my butt observing my work. It was messy but legible.

 _Mana Walker._

I still couldn't believe he was gone. The time we'd spent together was a blur. Happiness highlighted it with some ups and downs. But after those downs Mana was always there, he never abandoned me like everyone else in my life. He didn't discriminate me because of my mangled arm. He treated me like his son. A sob racked my ribs and before I knew it I was once again crying. Crying wouldn't be the word to describe it, I was full-out _bawling._ I hiccuped trying to get ahold of myself. It didn't work and my blubbering only went on. During my moment, I wasn't aware of the temperature dropping a few degrees. The moon became covered by thick clouds darkening the already black night.

A figure appeared in the sky. It held an umbrella that it twisted around as it descended. It bore an inhumanly image with a toothy grin that was frozen at its fullest. It landed gently on the ground and slumped over the gravestone.

"You want me to revive, Mana Walker~?"

* * *

 **(A/n Hey guys! So next chapter will be the last, I might do an epilogue of either older Allen with Cross or Allen at the Black Order. Does that sound like a good idea? I'll see you next update!)**


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